From 1635 to 1803 Hingham, MA was located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Suffolk County. The southerly boundary line between Hingham/Cohasset and Scituate/Norwell and beyond, is called the "patent line" in deeds. It was the early boundary between the two colonies - Mass Bay & Plymouth. Cohasset, formerly part of Hingham, elected to be part of the newly established Norfolk County in 1793. Hingham thought Dedham, the shire town of Norfolk County, was too far away! Norwell was part of old Scituate. -- Betty Meissner.